So This is Love
by Jedigrl330
Summary: Laura doesn't know what alot of things are or the human emotions that go with these things. After something horrible happens to Rogue is it possible they can heal each other? Will they find love in each other or just more heart ache? M after chap 10
1. Chapter 1

Authors Note: Yes, it's me again...I know I shouldn't be working on yet another story but the evil plot bunny just wouldn't leave me alone. So don't worry, I am still working on both of my other stories and they will be updated as soon as possible. But, more about what you have currently chosen to read. This is a teaser, or you should read it as such, and if you (my wonderful readers) have a positive response to the story then it will continue. I live off of reviews and they really do speed up the time between updates because I feel guilty so I write. Anyway...I will stop my mindless babbleing and let you read.

Disclaimer: I want it to be mine, I pray for it to be mine, but it's not. X-Men belongs to Marvel and bunches of other peole, I am just playing in the vast sandbox that is the Evolution universe...

She had been at Xaiver's Institute for Gifted Youngsters for a week. Seven days, it was a short amount of time and for that, the girl was glad. It wasn't hard to avoid everyone when they were still recovering from Apocalypse and the very unfortunate death of Remy LeBeau. Yes, Remy was dead, six feet in the ground, gone forever. Laura couldn't say she was upset about it, she had known him for a day. He fought in the battle and then had come back, Rogue had loved him (even Laura had seen that) and he returned that love, and then he went for a ride. Everyone had heard the fight him and Rogue had that morning, had heard him say "I love you Chere, I just need some time," and then the bike pulling away.

Remy had never come back. Rogue had cried most of that night and Laura knew she had only left her room three times since. Logan hovered near the girl's hall most the day and was the only one to see Laura sneaking around, today, he stopped her. "Laura, come here." He called.

The girl had to remember that was her name. She trotted over. "What?" she half growled.

Logan gave a low growl but said nothing about her tone. "Danger Room session at four. Be there and tell Rogue." He indicated the door and smirked before heading down the stairs.

Dark green eyes narrowed in anger. It was already 3:30 and Laura had no wish to try to talk to Rogue. If the hyper-active valley girl couldn't get the damned goth to open the door Laura knew it was a lost cause for her to even attempt. Deciding she better try anyway, the trained assassin stalked to the door with the Guns n Roses poster and banged three times. "Go ahway!" came the answer.

A moments pause before, BANG! BANG! BANG!

"Ah said, go ahway!" yelled the southern teen.

Laura rolled her eyes. "No." she answered.

There was a sniff and some rustling that might have been someone standing. Sure enough, footsteps followed and there was a thud from the other side of the door, a pillow hitting it. "Get ahway from mah door X23." Rogue's voice was cold and dangerous.

"Logan says you have to be at the Danger Room session at four." Laura growled and stalked back to her room, slammed the door as hard as she could and kicked the wall.

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In the main foyer Logan grinned. He heard Laura's foot go through the wall and the low snarl that followed. Using his clone had gotten the desired result, Rogue had spoken and interacted. A door was opening upstairs and Logan focused on the noise. Rogue was out of her room. It had to be her; the foot steps were heavier than Laura's and not as erratic as the pace of an assassin. Everything seemed to freeze as he waited to hear what she'd do. "Tell Logan ah ain't goin to any sessions rahght now." the venomous voice drifted to his ears.

Logan tensed. If he knew Laura, which he had no illusions about knowing her well, she'd lash out. Not a second later there was a thud. "Ah hate ya. Ya're the saddest, most worthless, second rhate…" Rogue's voice was yelling even as Logan bounded up the stairs.

_Sknit! Grrr! _CRASH! Logan barreled into Laura as she flew threw the air at Rogue. "Get ahold of yourself kid." He whispered in her noticeably small ears.

Laura had fury in her eyes and beneath that was the hurt. For a few seconds she struggled against the hold but calmed and turned her head away from Rogue. The southerner was standing against the opposite wall, eyes glued on Laura, pale hand on her heaving chest. "Get dressed and downstairs before I let her up Stripes." Logan said, trying to keep his voice even for Laura's sake.

Only Logan really knew what she had been threw. The Professor hadn't looked into her mind, the girl wouldn't let him. Instead, they had formed an agreement that if she ever got out of hand Logan could restrain her and if it happened repeatedly Xaiver would be able to look in her mind with force. Still, Logan didn't want Laura to go through what he knew she'd see as another betrayal, he didn't want to lose her again. So, he was careful around her and always knew where she was.

Rogue had scurried off to her room and Logan let his clone up. Laura stayed on the floor, unmoving. Her eyes were unfocused and glossy. "C'mon kid. Lets go downstairs." He said softly.

With obvious reluctance the girl stood. The two weapons silently walked through the halls and down into the main foyer.

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At four o'clock Rogue was standing in the Danger Room. In front of her were Scott, Kitty, Jean, and Kurt. Behind her were the new recruits and Peter aka Colossus. She was between the two groups, part of neither but not excluded, it felt like the story of her life. Even within the Mansion she didn't belong, not really. "Alright kids, it's our first day back to the DR. Looks like we're going to be taking it easy for awhile," Logan paused for the excited whispers, "so today we're doing no-powers hand to hand. I'm partnering, get over it. Scott and Amara, Kitty and Jamie, Bobby and Kurt, Jean and Raye, Pete and Rhane, Jubilee and Roberto, Tabby and Sam, Rogue and Laura, all of you pair up and get going. Those of you with partners, who need help, help them. Now we are all out in the open our biggest asset will be to defend ourselves without hurting anyone." Logan finished and let people pair off.

Laura, who had been standing by Logan, wandered over to Rogue and looked her opponent over. "Ah ain't fightin' her." The auburn haired teen said a hint of fear in her voice.

"I won't hurt you." Laura said, her voice low but not growling.

Off a look from Logan Rogue nodded. Without warning she lashed out at the younger girls head with a snap kick. Laura ducked it without blinking and danced back a few feet. Her face was set but her eyes didn't hold the stone Rogue had expected, the stone that over came the clone when she truly fought. This time Rogue struck out harder, putting her weight into a punch directed at Laura's chest. Another dance step back. "You have to do better." The voice was almost taunting.

Something inside Rogue broke. An image of Remy dancing around while fighting pierced her heart, it made tears jump to her eyes. He had loved her, wanted her, was willing to wait for her and now he was gone. She was vaguely aware of collapsing to her knees. Logan was there in her line of blurred sight, behind him was Laura. Confusing was written on both faces. "Remy, he, he's gone. Ah jus wanted mah chance Logan. He was willin ta wait 'til ah had control, and now there's no one. Who's really gonna wait for meh? Ah ain't nothin special, jus a river rat who lost her swamp rat." Rogue sobbed against Logan's chest.

"Laura, train with Ororo." Logan said before picking up Rogue and carrying her away from all of the prying eyes.

The rest of the session continued but something changed in Laura. She saw that Rogue really cared about Remy. In her mind it was impossible to care about another human like that, humans were tools, means to get from place to place. Seeing that emotion stirred something so deep in her chest it felt dead. Laura wanted to feel that, she wanted to love.


	2. Fight the Urge

Authors Note: I haven't abandoned this idea faithful readers. For more details on why it's taken so long to get up please see my profile. Anyway, here's the first official _chapter_ of So This Is Love. Please read, enjoy, and review! Thank you!

Disclaimer…If I owned it do you really think I would be writing fan fiction??

Chapter One: Fight the Urge

Upon entering her Spartan room, the girl sighed. She would never admit it but the Weather Witch had given her quite the work out. It felt good to sweat again though the act brought painful memories to the surface. For the first time, Laura had been glad a fight needed her full attention. Between the thoughts of Hydra and the thoughts of Rogue it was too much. She was built to simple follow orders; finish the mission by any means necessary. Now, at the Mansion Laura had to deal with all the emotions as well. More often than not it felt like someone was trying to fit more into her brain than she was able to compute.

Flopping face first onto her bed naked felt good. Laura preferred to use the locker room showers so she didn't have to fight for the upstairs few. Jean had given her a fluffy white robe to wear back upstairs. Laura still didn't really understand what the big deal was with walking around naked. It felt good. Of late, Laura had found that she really liked feeling good.

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Logan was scared, which made him mad, which led to more fear because the situation was affecting him so much. It was a very nasty cycle. The reason Logan's horrible habit was playing with him today had to so with his girl…well, his oldest girl. Grrr, his Rogue. For so long he had only though of Rogue as _HIS _daughter, now he was proud to add Laura to that list. It just took him awhile to adjust his thoughts.

At the moment Logan was crouched in the girls' hall, back against the wall with his face in his large hands. He had spent close to an hour rocking the sobbing resident Goth to sleep. Even then he didn't think it was a peaceful rest. No matter how much Logan had hated Remy he wished the young man was still alive. Rogue was destroyed without the stupid Cajun.

Music started in Japanese; it was dark industrial and way too loud. Laura was purposely playing it so loud to make the point something was bugging her. Logan threw his head against the wall with an intrusive _clunk._ '**Logan, please come to my office. I think I have a way to ease your difficulties.'** The professor's voice mixed with the deafening Japanese babble.

Allowing himself one more sigh, Logan stood. Stalking down the freshly painted tan girls hallway, he banged a fist on Laura's door. There was no response and Logan didn't have the time or patience to care. On his way to The Professor's office the weapon turned teacher noticed yet another new hole in the wall. "Grrr." He added it to the list of things he had to fix before next year.

Ororo Munroe was just closing the elaborate oak doors of Xavier's office when Logan came around the corner. She sent him a rare million-dollar smile; "You should've seen Laura in the Danger Room today. She was very impressive." The dark toned woman practically purred.

As always it calmed Logan immediately. Everyone knew that Logan was in love with the Weather Witch…. everyone, that is, but Logan. Clearing his throat Logan tried to growl out, "I know the kid can fight 'Ro, she needs to learn control."

There was no edge in his voice or steel in his ash colored eyes. Ororo gave a tiny laugh. "That's what I meant, silly. She never once lost an ounce of her control. You should think of putting her in a dance class when she's more stable, I think she'd like it." Blue eyes sparkled with amusement to match the voice.

Not trusting himself to speak, the mighty Wolverine simply nodded and brushed pass Ororo. Oblivious, he missed the devastated look the woman gave. She didn't want to wait forever but she doubted Logan would respond if she approached him, it would seem too unmanly. "Have a seat Logan." Xavier greeted his student warmly.

Slumped down comfortably in his favorite chair the tough mutant asked, "What's this all about Chuck?"

"It's come to my attention that our young Rogue had a severe break down in the Danger Room today. She has obviously shown us that she is incapable of handling the stressors that accompany life in our home. We both know that Rogue is an exceptionally strong individual, I think she just needs to get away for a while. On the other side of the spectrum we have young Laura. She needs to connect with a few of the other children before she can start training with the team. As much as I adore all the children they are a lot for her to take in all at once so I'm proposing that you take the two girls for a camping trip. Teach them to work together and trust each other. What do you think Logan?" Xavier explained his idea thoroughly while the recipient nodded.

"It's a great idea." The grin was almost scary.

The two teachers shared a significant look. "We'll be back in ten days Chuck."

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Emerald eyes fluttered open to star into the dark. There was a dull roar coming from somewhere underneath the floor. Blinking the fog from her brain, Rogue realized she wasn't in her bed, much less in her room. Panic gripped and her heart pounded. Finally, green orbs adjusted and fear settled to question. The first was: Why was she in the Black Bird? Another was: Who was sleeping lightly in the bunk above her?

As silently as she was able, Rogue rolled out of her bunk and crept to the door. There wasn't anything she could do about the light that streamed in the door when it opened, though it didn't seem to matter as the neatly braided dark haired head made no move. From outside the bunk room Logan was visible in the cockpit. He had his combat boots up on the dash and there was a light snore.

With a small chuckle, the teen made her way up the middle aisle. She had always loved how there was almost no rocking motion, even in flight. The Black Bird was made to be easy on its passengers. Reaching Logan, Rogue laid her gloved hand gently on a muscled shoulder. "Hey Logan, what's goin' on?" she asked when he grunted with semi-alertness.

"We're goin' on a trip, up to the mountains for about a week." The still mostly asleep man grunted.

Still unclear on why they were going on a trip, Rogue settled into the co-pilot seat and checked the readings. The landing gear was getting ready to emerge. They were going to land in a clearing Rogue knew well. Logan loved taking his students there to train over the weekends. It was a four-hour trip but the beauty made the time worth it. Six different waterfalls littered a twelve-mile radius. There were three other clearings in that same space filled with wild flowers. So many times, Jamie had collected a mosaic of blooms to give to Ororo and sometimes, Rogue. There memories brought tears to already sparkling eyes. Those had been easier times, untainted times.

Quite suddenly the morning sun broke over the horizon. Rogue stopped breathing for an instant, sadden thoughts forgotten, as colors danced across the earth. "It's pretty ain't it, Stripes." Logan whispered so as not to break the mood.

Rogue nodded. It was all she could do. Never in her life had she prayed witness to such a lovely event. Remy's face envolped Rogue's memory for the first time without pain. He would've loved to be next to her at this moment, an arm slung casually around her shoulders while her murmured in French. A soft _whoosh_ broke the fantasy. Its shattered pieces gathered in Rogue's gut, pain was back.

Laura half-wandered into the cockpit. She seemed to be wandering through life, not really sure where she was or should be. The assassin reminded Rogue of a baby lion, still so young and naïve in ways while being extremely dangerous in others. "Mornin'." Logan tried to sound pleasant but it came out strained.

His reward was a raised eyebrow and short growl. For once, Logan overlooked the flat out challenge, mostly because they had reached their destination.

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The girl felt natural here, as if she was one with the outdoors. There was nothing and no one to hold her back. Aromas you couldn't find in a city or house tickled her nose. Laura adored the outdoors. Every time she stepped out into the world, Laura was reminded that this was where she was supposed to be, not locked in windowless white rooms.

An hour ago Logan had sent her away to gather firewood. Once they had gotten off the Black Bird he had doled out jobs. Rogue was pitching the tents and Logan was making breakfast, it all worked out. Since being sent Laura had fashioned a sled out of branches and it was now full of firewood. Turning back towards camp, she sniffed. Breakfast was almost ready. It was easy to follow the scrumptious smell of breakfast cooking through the thick trees.

Rogue was reclining on the ground with her back propped against a large log. She had finished pitching the two tents Logan had packed. It appeared her and Laura were going to be sharing a tent. Logan had given Rogue a lecture on how delicate Laura was and briefed her on how to handle the young assassin. Not that Rogue really planned on interacting with the other teen. "Come eat Stripes." Logan's voice wasn't as rough as it was at home, it never was when he talked to Rogue one on one.

With a stretch, Rogue moved to stand. Just then, Laura passed through a beam of sun right outside the campsite. The younger girl was pulling a huge pile of firewood on some sort of sled. Dumbstruck, Rogue fell to her butt. Never before had she noticed how strikingly beautiful Laura was. Strong, graceful, mature, yet with a child's face decorating dead eyes. Even dressed in a tank top and jeans, Laura had the look of someone who had been hurt. Rogue should know, she saw the same posture and look every day…in the mirror. Finally over her stunned stupidity the nineteen-year-old rose to help.

Over by the X-jet ramp, Logan smiled. His plan was working. Rogue was a gentle soul and hated seeing people in pain. She would reach out to Laura. The next bit was trickier Laura had to reach back. Once that happened he knew the two would be great friends. "I don't need your help." Logan cringed as Laura snapped.

Rogue stalked over in a huff and plopped onto the ramp. "Why are weh doin' this wit her?" she grumped.

"Because I say so." Wolverine growled while spooning some food on a plate.

He pushed the plate at Rogue who took it with a glare. They had a staring contest for a few seconds until green eyes flashed with anger and turned downward. Logan shoveled more food onto another plate and handed it to Laura when she came over. The clone gave a grunt of thanks and wandered to a spot a few feet away.

Breakfast ended around nine a.m. when Logan gathered the tine dishes into a mesh bag. "Rogue, go to the stream and wash the dishes. Laura, build a fire pit. I'm gonna call Chuck and get everything else outta the jet." He said, already handing Rogue the bag.

The two teens turned in opposite directions and went about starting their tasks. Both were grumbling about each other. Well, Laura was just growling but her intentions came across just as strong, maybe stronger. Okay, maybe Logan's plan wouldn't go as smoothly as he had hoped it would.

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Noon burned brightly in the east coast wilderness. It was hot and sticky but Laura didn't notice. She was submerged in a crystal clear lake, the roar of a small waterfall almost deafening to her sensitive ears. Even with the noise it was one of the most peaceful places the girl had ever been to. Surfacing, Laura spotted Rogue standing on the edge of the waterfall. Talking a few quick steps the auburn haired teen leapt. Rogue flipped then straightened out into a perfect dive before the water swallowed her.

Laura found Logan's eyes and gave him a pointed look that plainly said: "I underestimated her." Logan nodded in her direction and went back to swimming laps. Rogue surfaced about ten feet from Laura. "Do ya know how ta dive?" she asked.

"No." Laura responded.

Squinting in the reflected sunlight, Rogue tipped her head. "Ya wanna learn?"

"No." Laura responded a little sharper.

Anger and confusion clouded Rogue's eyes. "What is yoah problem? Ah'm just tryin' ta beh yoah friend!" she exploded.

A more feral anger filled Laura's darker eyes. They narrowed dangerously. "My problem is that I've got a River Rat trying to understand something she'll never wrap her little southern mind around. I don't to be your distraction and I don't want to be your friend." Laura said lowly before darting underwater and racing back towards shore.

Tears welled in emerald orbs. Shaking, Rogue turned toward the other side of the lake. Logan was torn on which girl to follow. It had taken a few moments to get over the shock of Laura stringing so many words together, now he wanted to stomp after her and yell until she understood what Rogue was going through. On the other hand, he knew Rogue's thoughts were now centered on her lost love and he couldn't leave her alone. Swallowing his anger for a later date, Logan exited the water and half tiptoed to where his girl was slumped. "I'm sorry, kid. If I could bring him back, I would. But you gotta understand that you aren't alone Rogue. You're one of the best people I've ever met, there'll be boys beggin' to wait for ya, if you ever let someone see past your mask. And I can't wait until the day I can really hold ya. I love you Rogue." Logan murmured softly while he slowly rocked the girl in his arms, wrapped in a towel.

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Laura started running once she was out of the lake clearing. Blood pounded through the child's body. Everything went back to white. It was an odd transformation but Laura felt it, she was becoming X23 again. Nothing mattered but the mission, the mission to run as far and as fast as she could. She did not have a home, a family, a name; she was just in this instant.

In a faraway part of her mind Lara rationalized herself. Subconsciously, she knew she was afraid to get to close, afraid to her the fragile bond she shared with Logan, afraid of herself. Deep in her thoughts, Laura knew she was an inchoate child. The thought that someone else wanted to see that, touch that, terrified her. So, X23 responded with the only thing she had ever known, icy anger.

Alone, Laura let the truth leak into her concentration. It made her heavy and weak. A tree jumped out of nowhere and the girl couldn't stop before she ran into it. She hit the ground hard and tumbled. Bones creaked and one snapped as it rolled the wrong way. Laura felt blood running down her back even before she stopped rolling. Dust settled and the teen remained still so her mutation would work to its fullest. Muscles weaved back together; a bone mended, and cuts healed, all in under a minute. Still, Laura lay in the dirt. The energy needed to stand had been sucked out of her body by the truth.

Hours had passed. Laura hadn't noticed she had been running for close to an hour and a half. She estimated herself at twenty miles away from camp. That distance seemed much too far so Laura lay her head on the warm ground and let the memories come. Kimura's face drifted in and out, mocking her. Dr. Rice as he 'conditioned' her for the trigger sent, his laugh floated around the black oblivion. _"You aren't human." "Animal! That's all you'll ever be." "Come on X, try again. I know the pain feels good."_ They shouted at Laura. She was defenseless to stop the fragments that had fixed themselves to her mind. No matter how many times he claws felled Xander Rice he came back to haunt her again. "STOP!"

Raw pain lit Laura's throat as she began to cry. The tears left red streaks in their path, boiling oil burning porcelain. All of the dams Laura held within herself broke as the agony built. Red sparks of chaos exploded beneath her eyelids as her fingers found silky locks to yank. Unable to express the overload of emotion, Laura opened her throat to howl. The sound was lonely and bleak but animalistic all the same. High pitched wailing followed. In a matter of minutes the crescendo of dark passion fell to soft whimpers. Eventually, some time later, the forest became it's natural, silent, self.

Laura would probably never know how long she lay there on the edge of exhausted sleep. When moonlight caressed her tear-streaked face, she rose. Anyone watching may have thought they saw the Goddess Diana, it was such a graceful, meaningful move. Though, once standing, the brutally worn down child slumped her shoulders and hung her head. Laura took the long trek back to camp in shame. Shame for hurting Rogue, for having such a severe mental break, and for being so screwed up to begin with.

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Trudging, it took Laura approximately five hours to reach the Blackbird. Dinner was waiting for her in a tin container set on the glowing embers of a once great fire. The hotdog was still warm and it lifted Laura's spirit slightly. At least Logan cared is she ate or not, that had to count for something. Maybe it even meant he cared. The thought hit Laura like a ton of bricks. Instead of handling it, the worn out girl shoved the feeling to the back of her mind.

Crawling into the tent, she laid next to Rogue. The older girl was dreaming, it sounded painful and dark. Laura listened to the fearful whimpers and hurt tears until her heart softened. Carefully, a strong tan arm wrapped around Rogue. Silence fell soon after. More tears of shame filled Laura's eyes before she closed them. "I'm sorry." A horse whisper penetrated the silence.

"Meh too." Rogue's voice answered.

A shaky friendship was formed in that instant though no more words were spoken that night.

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Dawn came quietly and passed. The two teens in the tent didn't budge. More hours crept by before dark green eyes flickered open. No tired fog clouded Laura's mind, it never had. Rouge's rhythmic breathing steadied Laura's wild heart. Still, the assassin knew that something was wrong. The other teens breathing was the _only_ sound; Laura realized she couldn't hear Logan. Without paying much attention, Laura stepped out of the tent. As she did, she brushed against Rogue who began the climb to consciousness.

Outside, Laura sniffed deeply. The Blackbird was gone, along with Logan's tent and duffle bag. Pinned to a tall pine tree was a single piece of paper. Apprehension turning to annoyance, Laura stocked to it and ripped it from its natural bulletin board.

Annoyance turned to fury as dark eyes drank in the words:

**/Laura and Rogue,**

You must learn to work together. I left you both hiking backpacks. There's enough food to last two days, it will take you at least five to take Misty Mountain. I'll be waiting.

**Logan./**

Growling, Laura practically threw herself back into the tent. "He left us!" she raised her voice in anger for the fourth time in her life.

Rogue sat up with a jerk. "What!" she yelled twice as loud as Laura.

The note changed hands. Emerald eyes scanned it before Rogue threw herself back onto her pillow with a groan. Auburn hair stuck in every direction. Without make up, Rogue looked soft. Laura thought her irritation was adorable, the mentally smacked herself for thinking something so vulnerable. "Ah think Ah'm gonna kill Logan." Rogue didn't move as she spoke.

All Laura could do was nod in agreement. This was defiantly not going to be a fun week.


	3. Never Fail

Authors Note: Hey there everyone, sorry this took so long. This chapter gave me a ton of trouble and I actually ended up changing the end. It propelled the plot a little further than I had planned so we may get into M before chapter 10…I'll keep you guys informed. Reply, it's good for the soul…

Disclaimer: Sadly, still not mine

Chapter Two: Never Fail

Late morning sun beat down on her as she zipped the final pocket on her hiking back pack. A few feet away, her companion did the same. This was not what the girl had in mind when her pseudo father told her they were going camping. Sixty miles of advanced trails with a girl she barely knew was not what Laura called 'relaxing'. "Weh have ta stop at da river 'fore weh start." Rogue spoke up.

"Why?" Laura asked, confused, annoyed, and contemplating the journey.

Rogue heaved her pack up and onto her back with a grunt. "'Cause Ah want ta clean up." She rationalized.

Swinging her own pack back-which also held the tent- easily onto her back, Laura rolled her eyes. "We're going to get sweaty again and the trail runs by a creek almost the whole time. If we go to the river now we'll be adding a mile and a half to the trail." Laura started out in her pre-determined short-cut.

She walked to the edge of the clearing before she realized Rogue had gone the other way. With a growl, Laura turned and lightly jogged to catch the other teen. Walking with a purpose, the southern bell didn't even slow. "Where are you going?" Laura ground out once she was next to her stubborn companion.

"The river," was her tight lipped answer.

"Logan told us to stick together." Laura pointed out in a stressed, fake patient voice.

Smirking, Rogue looked over at her forced companion. "Exactly, an' havin' a bath ain't gonna kill ya." She said and clapped her gloved hand on Laura's shoulder.

Sighing in defeat, Laura let this battle go. Logan's constant advice to pick her battles had finally sunk in. And taking a bath wasn't a completely horrible idea. "Fine." Laura kept her voice even to keep her feelings hidden.

The rest of the walk to the river was silent. Neither girl knew what to say to the other. Laura didn't mind the quiet, she was still struggling to fill in answers completely, and conversations were beyond her. On the other hand, Rogue couldn't help but want to talk. There were so many questions she had for the young assassin. Still, Laura was dangerous and that fact was ever present in Rogue's mind.

Sun glittered on the water running through the trees. The beauty caught in Rogue's throat and erased her trepidation. She didn't notice that Laura was peeling off her clothing until the other girl was naked. Rogue had never physically felt her jaw drop before and she wasn't paying much attention to it in that moment.

Laura appeared a solid wall of muscle when she was clothed. Naked, it was easy to see she was indeed powerful but she was also curvy. Rogue knew that she herself was curvy but she was nowhere near as strong. Plus, Laura's skin had a bronze glow all over. "Are you alright?" Laura's voice interrupted Rogue's staring.

Before she even attempted to speak Rogue had to clear her throat. All that came out was a too high pitched squeak. Once again, Rogue cleared her throat but chose to nod her answer, just in case. The naked teen gave her a weird look but didn't comment as she strolled into the water. "Wow," Rogue breathed out and began to take off her own clothes.

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"Laura, weh have ta stop. Ah'm only human ya know. Ah can't even see where Ah'm goin'." Rogue snapped after she tripped for the fifth time in ten minutes.

Night had fall on the pair's first day of hiking. Laura was disappointed with their progress. According to the map Logan had so kindly left them-bastard-, they had only traveled a little over eight miles. The dark didn't bother the assassin in the slightest. "We're behind schedule." Laura said sharply.

Instead of arguing, Rogue just stopped. "Non, dis fille ain't movin'," she snapped then let her hands fly to her mouth.

Remy hadn't even been on Rogue's mind but hearing her voice take his inflictions was a slap in the face. Tears filled her emerald orbs as Rogue sat. She felt crushed and just knew that she wasn't going any farther. It didn't matter to her if Laura left her alone, nothing mattered but the empty sucking hole in her chest. This was simply too much, too soon and Rogue could feel her mask-so carefully kept in place at home- begin to crack open even further.

Unable to comfort someone, Laura did what she thought would be helpful. She cleared a spot and set up the tent. Afterwards Rogue was still crying so Laura dug a fire pit, gathered firewood, and started to cook dinner. Finally, Rogue wandered over, her stomach winning over her pain. "Thank you." She mumbled.

Laura just nodded and handed Rogue a plate. It surprised the clone that she wasn't the least bit bothered but the other girls emotions. In fact, Laura felt guilty that she couldn't do more for the clearly upset teen. Dinner lasted in silence.

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The next morning the sky was a cool gray when Laura crawled out of the tent. She sucked in a deep breath and stretched her arms high inot the air before trotting to the fire put. Confusion plucked at Laura's mind when she saw pieces of barely brunt paper in the fire pt. Last night she knew she had cleared it out.

Carefully, Laura picked up one of the pages and gently unfolded the wrinkles. On the thick almost parchment like paper was a picture that caused tears to jump to Laura's eyes. A realistic drawing of Remy laying out on Rogue's bed was depicted. It was obvious that it had once been framed. Laura neatly folded the partially charred paper and tucked it into her pocket. It took her ten minutes to dig through all the paper and save the drawings that were mostly intact.

After saving the drawings, Laura put together breakfast. Sun was just beginning to color the sky when Laura smacked the side of the tent. "Wake up," she called.

Her answer was a groan. "We have to move. Now." Laura smacked the tent material a little harder.

"Alraght, alraght, Ah'm gettin' up." Rogue grumbled and Laura could hear the other girl detangling herself from the sleeping bag.

When Rogue finally managed to climb out of the tent she was touched. Breakfast was waiting for her over a tiny flame. "Ya know ya don't have ta do all this for meh. But thank ya for doin' it." Rogue said as she began to eat.

Laura shrugged from where she was finishing packing up the campsite. It made perfect sense for her to make enough breakfast for Rogue. If she didn't it would take twice as long for them to get hiking. By the time Rogue was finished and dressed, Laura had packed everything up. The two teens started out on their second day of Logan's interesting, and (to them) cruel, training session.

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On the second day the teens walked, climbed, and stumbled in silence. They traveled just under fourteen miles before they stopped. In the morning, Laura had woken at dawn once more and made breakfast. Then the two started in all again.

Silence was starting to grate on Rogue's nerves that day about noon. "Ah think Logan wanted us ta get ta know each other." She finally pointed out.

Ahead of the auburn haired girl, Laura nodded. To a bystander it looked as if the teen was daydreaming and Rogue, as she rolled her eyes, had to remind herself that Laura didn't day dream—she plotted. Logan's voice came to her mind, '_Ya gotta be patient with her Stripes. She's still learnin' to be human, try to help her._' Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Rogue tried again, "So, do ya lahke it at da Mansion?"

"Yes," was the short and simple answer.

"Have ya made friends with any of da younger kids?" Rogue tried again.

Laura paused for a moment, not moving or speaking, before she gave a tense answer, "No."

Rogue, disheartened, stopped asking questions. For a few minutes there was silence once more. Then, "Is it had to be unable to touch?"

Caught off guard, Rogue didn't know what to say. She was elated her companion was making an attempt, though the subject was a sensitive one. "Yes, it's pretty hard. Alraght, it sucks. What about havin' enhanced senses?" she asked to keep the conversation going, and hopefully steer it away from her own powers.

Laura paused again, this time waiting for Rogue to catch up to her. They walked easily next to each other on the easy, un-hindering trail. "Sometimes you learn things better left unknown." Laura's voice was the lightest Rogue had ever heard it and the older teen knew the girl was trying to brush off her hardships.

This is what Logan had been talking about, Laura needed someone who wasn't afraid…not because she was deadly but because she needed an example. It was true that Laura could kill Rogue in a second, Rogue knew that, but Rogue couldn't help but relax now she was seeing Laura's humanizing fears. "I know you're afraid of me." Laura suddenly cut into her companions' thoughts.

Taken aback, Rogue walked in silence for a moment. "Yeah, Ah am but ah'm tryin' ta get used to ya. Yoah different but it ain't yoah fault." The southerner tried to explain her thoughts.

Laura seemed to accept this and nodded. Both girls know the conversation was over. Inwardly, Laura sighed in relief. It felt nice to open up just the tiniest bit but she still couldn't let herself open her past to Rogue. The pain was too cold, too lonely. Next to her, Rogue knew she had made headway. This was possible, befriending an assassin was not the craziest thing she'd ever done…or would do.

Hours later, as the sun was beginning to set, Laura stopped. Sniffing, she signed for Rogue to wait. "There's a storm coming." Laura monotoned.

"Is it gonna be bad?" Rogue asked, remembering at some point they were going to have to rock climb.

With a shrug Laura started walking once more. "It's too far off to tell. If we keep this pace we might beat it." The younger girl said with a determined air.

Rogue followed after closing her eyes for a moment. Fatigue had set in an hour ago and she had a feeling Laura wasn't planning on stopping anytime soon. Still, there was light on the horizon so Rogue kept her mouth shut. Logan had taught her to keep a final reserve, something to use in emergencies. Though she hated to admit it, the teen was beginning to tap into that last bit of energy. "We'll stop in another hour." Laura called from a few feet ahead.

Suppressing a groan, Rogue trudged forward. '_Ah can do this. Ah can do this. Jus' one foot in front 'a the other_' she started a mantra to keep her going.

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Stars still decorated the sky when the girl rose the next morning. The smell of electricity and rain was heavy on her senses but no clouds plouted the open range of sky. Pulling out the map, Laura checked their progress. Yesterday's hike had taken them past the half way point but only by a couple miles. There was just over twenty six miles to go before reaching Logan. Alone, Laura could make it by nightfall but with Rogue it would take at least two days. Sniffing once more, Laura growled. They might be caught in the storm.

As quickly as possible Laura cleared the campsite and made a light breakfast. It was the last of their food. Hitting the tent with more force than required was the girl's only display of emotion. "Get up Rogue…we have to talk." Laura called, irritation barely coloring her voice.

Inside the tent, Rogue's emerald eyes fluttered open. It was darker then normal. Obviously, the sun hadn't touched the sky yet. Exhaustion touched Rogue's body. She had slept almost eight hours but it wasn't enough. Logan had the team battle conditioned but he had never built their stamina up this high. Another slap to the side of the tent jolted Rogue from her stupor of half sleep. "Ah'm up. Jus' give meh a minute." Rogue verbally responded as she started to wiggle out of her sleeping bag.

A mere fifty minutes later the two teens started out again. Laura had told Rogue about their situation and they planned their stops with enough time to hunt for food. If they stuck to their plan they would reach the cliff they had to climb in the late afternoon. Laura wanted to tackle it that night, Rogue refused. She remembered the sheer rock face from another training session. It had taken hours to scale, even Logan needed three hours to reach the top. Rogue was not looking forward to the climb.

The first three hours of hiking were difficult. A few times they had to scramble over rock piles. By noon they had made it half way to the cliff but the trail ahead was even more dangerous that what they had just crossed. "How does adamantium on yoah bones work? If ya ain't fully grown…" Rogue trailed off and popped a few more berries in her mouth.

Laura tipped her head, taking a moment to understand. "Oh, I don't have adamantium like Logan, just on the claws." She explained.

"That makes sense." Rogue said, mentally kicking herself for not figuring it out sooner.

Silence stretched for a moment. "Have you ever absorbed Logan?" Laura finally asked.

Rogue nodded offhandedly. "How's that work with the claws?" Laura's voice was interested and her attention rapt.

"Nevah got 'em," Rogue shrugged.

Laura nodded and stood. "We'd better get going."

Ten minutes later the two were scrambling over a fifty foot high pile of granite. Laura easily reached the top and hauled herself up. In the distance, the teen could make out the cliff they would have to climb the next day. Ahead, visually concealed by numerous bends in the path, the trail opened to a raging river. Laura sighed; they would have to cross to the other side before the current became too strong.

The soft sound of ripping flesh caught Laura's attention. Below her, Rogue cussed at the scrape on the palm of her left hand. The teen had slid down about a foot because of a loose hand hold. Before Laura could ask if Rogue was alright something caught her eye. Rogue's faux foothold was going to fall away from the rock. Throwing herself to the ground just as the unfastened rock fell, Laura's outstretched hand clutched Rogue's right wrist.

Rogue heard her short, high scream before she knew she was falling. Her heart pounded wildly against her ribs. She was hanging by her wrist in Laura's hand. For a moment there was silence as Rogue looked from the ground to Laura's eyes. "Ya caught meh," she said, still stunned.

"I wasn't going to let you fall." Laura grunted as she hauled Rogue up and over the edge of the miniature cliff.

At the top Rogue looked back down. The ground seemed to waver, looking a great deal farther away than it really was. Had she fallen Rogue would've been seriously injured but, hopefully, not dead. Laura was already twenty feet away, determined to reach the cliff with enough time to gather dinner. Jogging to catch her companion, Rogue repeated herself, "Ya caught meh."

This time, instead of shock, the words held a smile. Laura felt her chest tingling and looked down. It was her heart beat fluttering in response to Rogue's joy. The ache of fear followed the knowledge and Laura could feel her mind reeling back in to where it felt safer. Rogue saw the change and wanted to scream. Every time she stirred a positive emotion in the girl Laura had to pull back in fear.

"Why are ya so afraid of bein' happy?" the blunt, frustrated question was off Rogue's lips before she could stop it.

A couple feet ahead, Laura froze

There was silence for a whole minute…

Then another minute….

Then another…..

And another……

Finally, right as Rogue was about to start panicking, Laura heavily sighed. Shoulders slumped and head down, the girl turned back to face her companion. Millimeter by millimeter, Laura raised her face for Rogue to see. Tears had streaked the lightly bronzed cheeks. Rogue stood, barely breathing, as Laura crumpled to her knees. "I…can't," the tiny voice was powerful enough to make Rogue step back.

"Ah understand what it's lahke ta not beh able ta talk, but, Laura, when ya do what to, Ah'll beh here. Ah ain't gonna let you fall either," Rogue said gently as she knelt.

Gloved fingers rested under Laura's chin. Two pairs of green eyes truly met for the first time. Both girl's felt their inner storms calm. At peace, they rose together and, hand in gloved hand, continued on their journey.

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Miles away, at the top of a cliff a figure grinned. He lowered the binoculars. Both girls he had been watching reeked of Logan. The figure glanced down to a tiny, hand held computer.

A picture of Rogue flashed onto the screen. It would be easy to get her but then he would have to deal with, not only Logan, but his clone. Laura's picture jumped to the forefront. Now she would be a challenge. And there was nothing he loved more…especially one so beautifully young. Already, he could hear her screams. Licking his lips, the figure walked away.


End file.
